Joyce Kelley
Music 250
Prof. Freedman
April 28, 1997
Guarini's "O Primavera:" Musical Settings and Interpretation
During the second half of the sixteenth century, composers began to set madrigals in a colorful array of different styles. While poetry by Petrarch and Sannazaro remained popular, more and more composers turned to the "gloomier, more mannered and emotional work" of Torquato Tasso and to the verse of another Ferrarese, Giambattista Guarini, whose pastoral "Il Pastor Fido" became "the literary rage of the fin de siècle" (Brown 343). Naturally, the wide popularity of this poetry encouraged many different composers to set the same works to music, each providing his own translation of the text into melody. The results left the public with a fascinating glimpse into the minds of the composers as each transcribed a work in his own manner, rendering words into music as a direct consequence of his own interpretation. "Il Pastor Fido," the first section of which is also called "O Primavera," became an especially intriguing example of this for thematic reasons, especially when one examines only the first stanza. This verse plays out vacillating emotions in a curious comparison between the springtime, the poet, and his former beloved, going a step beyond the traditional theme of "happy nature, unhappy poet." First the poet speaks of the "youth of the year" and the beauty of nature, then switches abruptly to the melancholy thought of "the happy days" of his past joys that do not return. The emotional state of the poem's last four lines is especially charismatic, for the girl, like the spring, is "truly that fair damsel / That was once so pretty and charming," but the poet laments that "I am no longer the youth that was once / So dear in the eyes of another." Examining the way that the great madrigalists Claudio Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, and Giaches de Wert set this verse to music gives us insight into these composers' minds and imaginations, showing us not only how they wished to translate the emotional contents of the work for their audience but also how they themselves perceived the text.
Monteverdi's "O Primavera" comes from his third book of madrigals, published in 1592. Unlike Schütz and Wert, Monteverdi did not set all of "Il Pastor Fido" to music but only a selection of the first verse. An ongoing argument persists as to whether this selection is merely an excerpt of the larger work or whether this verse first existed as a lyric poem which Guarini rewrote for inclusion to his "tragicomedy" (Tomlinson 78). (It should be noted that Luzzaschi also set a version of "O Primavera" with a text identical to that of Monteverdi's, implying that the verse once existed in an independent form.) Important to our argument, this version, although shorter, retains a thematic structure similar enough to the stanza of "Il Pastor Fido" to invite comparison. The first four and last four lines of this segment are practically identical to those of the text used by Monteverdi, employing only slight word variations in line 4 and in line 11 (which becomes line 6 in the Monteverdi), and the middle lines are neatly summarized in Monteverdi's lines 5 and 6.
As Brown writes, Monteverdi works to make the words "the mistress of the harmony" (368). He pays close attention to the meaning of the lines, carefully grouping them by their dramatic content. For example, in the opening of his setting in measures 1 through 28, he employs multiple counterpoint, intermingling the first three lines; as Tomlinson states, these first three lines use distinctive melodies that are "freely combined and recombined" (79). The tenor begins the piece with the first line of text, "O Primavera, gioventù dell'anno" (O springtime, youth of the year) and the Quinto and Alto echo his words in m********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************erdi "superimposed various parts of the poem (and the motives associated with them) to make a complex and rather dense texture" (Brown 364). Here, however, this interchangeability of one line for another suggests moreover that Monteverdi perceived these phrases similarly, grouping them together for thematic purposes, and the emotional character of his opening reflects this. The piece begins in a joyful flow of motion as the men and women cheerfully sing of the "youth of the year;" Tomlinson also notes the "jaunty confidence" of this "lengthy, three-motive exposition" (79). The quick, uplifting theme of the descending eighth notes of "O Primavera" is counterbalanced by the gentle quarter notes of "bella madre" and the light, twittering melody of "d'herbe novella," all merging to give the impression of a pleasant spring morning, filled with the swishing of green grasses and with sweet bird calls. The tone is gentle and light, and the feeling of joy culminates in measure 25 as the canto begins her phrase on a high f, singing out high above the other voices. At last the singers move to a cadence on "amouri" in measure 28, gently ending the phrase. (Play CD 1, example 1) * please see note
At the close of this introduction of spring at the end of line 3, a sudden change occurs in the music which anticipates a change of feeling in the poem. With line four, the poet begins his recollection of the former days so dear to him (lines 4-6), and the music appropriately shifts to more somber, longer note values. As Tomlinson writes, the music and text of line 4 give way "to a homophonic development of the quarter note motive" (80). The line begins with solemn descending half notes in the three lowest parts, carrying with it a feeling that is low in spirit as well as in pitch. When the canto joins the lower voices three measures later, her notes are high, long, and open, connoting a feeling of sorrow. As the other voices continue to sing line four, the tenor and bass begin the quarter note motive of line 5; as the canto follows, the other four return to line 4. (As elsewhere in the piece, these entrances are never in unison but always occur in staggered progressions.) This section of the piece thus groups together lines 4, 5, and the beginning of line 6; Monteverdi appropriately enjambs this line fragment onto the end of line 5 to complete the phrase as well as to lend emphasis to the inner rhyme of "mie" with "giorni" and "ritorni". "Well may you return but-- / alas! without the hopeful days / so dear to me," the text translates. Monteverdi groups these phrases together into one feeling, and by beginning his dramatic change of tone with line four, "well may you return," Monteverdi intriguingly chooses to provide a hint of the loss of the "hopeful days" that a reader of the text would not have discovered until line 5. (Play example 2)
After a slight pause, the end of line 6 and line 7 call for "the praises of spring to be sung again" (Tomlinson 80). With the "Tu ben sei quela" (well may you be the same) of line six (m. 49), the music regains some of its initial cheerfulness. Here the text speaks of the spring retaining its original qualities, its charm and prettiness that no doubt parallel the beauty of the poet's beloved. The tone again becomes lively, especially in the characteristic eighth note turn in each part on "dianzi sì vezzosa" (. . . so charming). In measure 59, the top two voices add to the returning idea of joy with their lengthy eighth note runs on "bella" (pretty). (Play example 3) As Tomlinson writes, "the conzetta rhythms and tumbling eighth notes" of this passage "evoke the beginning of the piece" and allow Monteverdi "to set off starkly the second and stronger turn to the poet's sorrow at verse 8" (80). Line 8 (m. 62ff), "ma non son io quel che già un tempo fui" (but I am not the same as I once was), introduces yet a stronger sorrow, returning to the poet's own tragic condition. Monteverdi chooses to divide this line into two parts, obtaining two motives "appropriately reminiscent in their rhythmic character of those setting verses 4-6" (Tomlinson 80). Again there are solemn half notes which descend downward to cadence on "fui" at the end of line eight. Curiously, Monteverdi carefully divides lines 8 and 9, not allowing them to intermingle as he did with previous phrases of text. Instead he adds line 9, "sì car'a gl'occhi altrui" (so dear to the eyes of another) as an afterthought, the canto beginning the phrase in m. 75 in airy descending half notes. The others follow her lead in pairs, lamenting in their somber progression of whole and half notes. (Play example 4) Although Monteverdi easily could have paired these last two lines, he chooses another approach; thus the composer must conceive of line 8 as a direct return to the idea of lines 4-6, while viewing line 9 as a separate entity altogether. Indeed, "so dear to the eyes of another" introduces the idea of a reciprocated loss, mentioning for the first time the beloved's love for the poet that has been lost as well.
An interesting comparison can be made between Monteverdi's "O Primavera" and the first stanza of Heinrich Schütz's setting of "Il Pastor Fido," especially when we remember that Schütz was at one time a pupil of Monteverdi's. Schütz, like Monteverdi, groups the first three lines of text into one unit, thus conceiving them as one idea, but his music lacks the intermingling of lines found in Monteverdi's version. The tenor begins the phrase of line one, "O Primavera. . . ," and is joined in the same measure by the other four voices. The character is much more restrained than the Monteverdi, suggesting only a hesitant joy. The "gioventù (youth) in measure 2 has slightly more life, then the phrases slow on "l'anno" (year). Schütz seems to see this opening as a serious praise to the springtime and does not allow his music to imply joyfulness until the poet begins to discuss the beautiful images of the season. For line two, the tenor suddenly enters with a more lively rhythmic line, beginning a series of dotted 16th note patterns which are quickly taken up in sequence by the other voices. These are quick, dancing rhythms invoking the joy of spring and the swaying flowers; the word "fiori" (flowers) especially is marked by these long capricious progressions of notes. Line three, "d'herbe novelle. . .," is repeated several times by each voice. Here Schütz creates an effect declined by Monteverdi, alternately emphasizing the similar words "novelle" and "novelli" (new). First we hear a constant interchange of the "bella" 's and then of the "novella" 's as Schütz works to make us aware of this inner rhyme. The end of line three, "amori," is lengthened in each part with the canto part floating above on a high D; this phrase adds weight to the idea of "love" that will soon turn so problematic. (Play CD 2, example 5)
So far, each part has rested for one beat between each line, though not in unison, neatly marking the beginning and end of each line of poetry without upsetting the flow of the entire structure. After line three, however, all parts unite in a beat of rest, dividing line three thematically from lines four and following. In contrast to the Monteverdi, however, line four does not begin somberly, though the music now lacks some of its previous energy. "Tu torni" is repeated several times, "returning" in slightly anxious, rising tones. Continuing this anxious feeling are lines 4 1/2 through six, "ma tect / non tornano i sereni / e fortunati dì de le mie gloie" (but with you / do not return / the serene and happy days of my joy). Lines 5 and 6 are not distinguished by much contrast; all employ eighth notes that slightly suggest a mournful quality. Again all parts unite to rest a beat before the beginning of line 7, which reads "tu torni ben, tu torni" (you return once more, you return), echoing line 4 but this time employing a joyful falling melodic line. This returning theme of happiness is underscored by the running eighth note scale on B flat in the bass part. As the lines proceed, the song continues to flow even as the singers reach line nine which speaks of "my fair sweetheart now lost to me." (Play example 6)
Only with line ten, "la rimembranza misera e dolente" (the sad and wretched memory) does Schütz choose to make a dramatic change in mood, using half and whole notes to make the phrase sorrowful and slow. As in line 4 of the Monteverdi, the lowest three voices enter first, so soft and low that they are scarcely audible. When the soprano enters, also as in the Monteverdi, her tones are high and ringing, floa********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************owever, the joy is more restrained, and there exist a tone of anger hidden in the fury of this unison and a strange ominous quality in the bass in the low D to C of "bella" in measure 33. (Play example 8) The last two lines (but I am no longer the youth. . . ) Schütz sets similarly, unlike Monteverdi who makes such an effort to distinguish them from one another in tone. The feeling resembles the solemnity of line 10, with notes of longer duration and the soprano's ethereal ring up above. (Play example 9)
Thus Monteverdi and Schütz demonstrate similar understandings of the text in general, though each displays his own subtle touches of interpretation here and there, as in Monteverdi's last two lines. These shared impressions may be a result of the contac between the composers; we cannot discard the possibility that Schütz was familiar with Monteverdi's setting, and that he later reflected Monteverdi's ideas in his own. For a wider perspective on the issue of composers setting the same text, we should examine yet another rendition of "O Primavera," one by Giaches de Wert, who uses the same text that Schütz employed.
Wert, the oldest of the "virtuoso madrigalists," produced an incredible selection of madrigals in his lifetime. Brown writes that in these compositions, "technical artifice was by and large subservient to text expression" (344). Wert used "simple imitative counterpoint," "splendid polychordal dialogue," and "various other textures and styles" as the occasion demanded, following "the sense of text rather than any abstract musical design" (344). In his late works especially, when Wert turned to the emotional settings of Tasso and Guarini, his texts all received individualized settings as Wert displayed an "increased willingness to underscore literary meaning" (Brown 344).
With these ideas in mind, let us examine Wert's version of "O Primavera." The opening of the piece is nothing like Monteverdi's joyful beginning, for Wert begins with the top three parts singing in rhythmic unison on a minor monotone. "Youth" and "spring" are given the same emphasis, with dull, subdued tones. The three voices continue together in a rising eighth note line that lengthens the "fiori" (flowers), providing a melancholy extension quite unlike the Schütz, where the elongation of this word serves to make the line more lyrical. It is only with line three, "d'herbe novelli. . . ," that the piece begins to gain a little more sprightliness with the descending run on "novelli." (Play CD 2, example 10)
Like Monteverdi and Schütz, Wert chooses to set lines 1-3 apart from line four, placing an eighth rest between lines 3 and 4. Intriguingly, Wert often uses rests of short duration to mark the beginnings and endings of lines, and there is even an eighth rest in all three parts to mark the comma in line four ("tu tourni ben, ma teco"). Then, like the other two composers, he chooses to enjamb line four into line five, following the flow of the line instead of the syntactic structure. Once again the top three voices begin, singing in unison until measure 9. In contrast to the Monteverdi, there is no sudden difference in feeling, though the character is slightly stronger here with a significant swell of emotion on the dotted quarter - eighth note rhythm of "torni." Line five, "non tournano i sereni" (do not return the serene. . .) is appropriately lamenting and subtle, while line six builds a little more, rising to give a hint of the poet's previous joy. As the quintus part reiterates "de le mie gioie" (of my joy), rising to B flat and then falling in a pattern of eighths and sixteenths that sounds like the first real declaration of joy in the piece. The alto and canto follow, repeating her pattern twice on these words in layered progressions. (Play example 11)
Finally, the lower two voices enter in measure 11, introducing line seven, the second "tu tourni ben" passage. The tenor begins forcefully in a joyful dotted rhythm and the other four voices join him in a strong unison, which is sustained through line 9. (Play example 12) Although this section is forceful in nature, its character quickly becomes more melancholy. Like Schütz, Wert chooses to begin a new section with line 10 (the sad and wretched memory [of my fair sweetheart]), a unit characterized by even more somber sounds as the voices break apart for the first time, perhaps symbolizing the parting of the poet and his beloved. Obviously, for Wert, the idea of the "wretched memory" prevails as an emphasized theme. The most poignant part of these melodic lines is in the falling quarter notes on the "miserae e dolenta" (sad and wretched) in m.21 as the Canto descends down a piece of the chromatic scale after having ascended to a C in the previous measure. In measure 24, the tenor mimics this motive, this time with less emphasis. (Play example 13)
The familiar dotted rhythmic unison returns in Wert's setting of line 11, "Tu quella se', tu quella," bringing back the joy seen also in the Monteverdi and the Schütz. Ironically, however, Wert has no musical "joy" in the poem's opening to revisit, so he reuses his motive for line seven, which was the first return to the idea of spring. There the line began in the tenor; here it begins in the quinto until the others join one measure later. As the parts reach the last syllable of "quella," the phrase deepens into minor, foreshadowing a solemnness to come. Line 12, however, which emphasizes the pretty and charming qualities of the beloved, is sung only by the top three parts, lending a lighter texture to the piece. Not only do the high voices bring us back to the theme of spring, they seem to represent a memory of the beloved's own voice. As the other parts enter in unison, the line becomes almost dance-like. Like Schütz, Wert does not differentiate in the tone of the last two lines. (Play example 14) Line 13 begins in the canto on a high pleading D and flows into the staggered progression of line 14. Perhaps a bit more poignant, line 14 (so dear in the eyes of another) occurs twice in rising and falling arcs and ends, oddly, on a hopeful major. (Play example 15)
Thus Wert, while often grouping his lines in a manner similar to Monteverdi and Schütz, has his own unique reading of "O Primavera" 's emotional ideas. His opening holds no joy, already influenced by the poet's later lines of sorrow. His music does not employ a direct contrast of joy and sadness, but instead conveys a curious mixture of emotion, perhaps reflecting the composer's own confused feelings after having read the verse. As each composer sets the same words to music, he reveals his own interpretation, his own personal reading of the text. In transcribing a text to music, a composer provides us with a lens through which we view the text, a lens sculpted by his own eyes. He becomes our "tour guide" through the poetry, attempting to focus our attention on the details that he deems to be most important, grouping together sections of the poem as he perceives them to make them more coherent. As we apply our own critical lenses to these works, we can do no more than speculate on what the composers thoughts might have been, concocting our own "melodies" of interpretation.
*Please Note: For the listening section of this project, you will need the following CD's: 1) MCD #1778, Monteverdi, "Il Terzo Libro de Madrigali;" 2) CD # 1484, "Il Pastor Fido," Madrigals after texts by G. Battista Guarini.
Works Cited
Howard M. Brown, Music in the Renaissance (Chicago: Prentice-Hall, 1976).
Gary Tomlinson, Claudio Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance (Berkeley, 1989), pp. 78-83.
Quick reference guide:
Monteverdi, track 11:
Schütz, track 1:
Wert, track 15: